


Was It Fate or Choice?

by alafaye



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-22
Updated: 2014-01-22
Packaged: 2018-01-09 16:38:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1148280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control." unknown</p>
            </blockquote>





	Was It Fate or Choice?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2013 for . Originally posted [here](http://hd-owlpost.livejournal.com/47442.html).

_Meeting you was fate..._

The old woman frowned and studied the tapestry in front of her. The endless tangle of what-if and maybe and possibly and for-certain fell in an unorganized mess at her feet. Some shone like the sun on an eclipse; others were the dullness of a winter's day. Some of the strings were bound together, hopeless, never to be unknotted. Others moved in an unfelt breeze, playfully and teasingly. Behind her miles and miles of tapestry flowed; sometimes it got caught or needed to be lengthened to tie into a demanding future strand.

The needle in her hand twitched. There was a knot coming up, bright as bright but the colours were dull. She poked the knot with her needle and it seemed to stretch out with hurt and anger. This one was stubborn. But also sad. Well, nothing to do for it but bundle it up into the set and yet, when she went to tie together the free flowing strings that came out of the knot--well, maybe just this once she'd let them decide. It might make them sad, but they were on their path to meet. The rest she'd leave up to them and hope that they wouldn't knot anything else up.

For good measure, though, she kept their strings clear of anything else.

~~~

_...becoming your friend was a choice..._

Harry sealed the box with tape and set it in the pile to be shipped to the antique dealer in Salisbury. "Packages are all set!" He called to Bill who was in the front of their office.

"Thanks, Harry!" Bill called back. "Can you come out here for a moment?"

"Be there in a moment," Harry told him. He brushed away the stray bits of hay that they used as packing material and did a quick sweep of the floor. As he approached the front of the office, he heard voices. Maybe Bill had finally found them a front clerk which would be brilliant since neither he nor Harry were great at staying at the front desk--they both preferred to be tinkering with the odds and ends they got in.

It wasn't something Harry had ever thought of for a career, but one year in the Aurors had quickly taught him that while he liked being busy and he liked excitement, he hated paperwork and he hadn't liked the morals that some of the Aurors had and was accepted. When he'd quit, George told him that Bill was looking for an assistant and could train Harry in curse-breaking. It suited Harry perfectly and he and Bill worked well together.

Now, if they did have a front clerk, he and Bill could focus on what they loved to do rather than manning the front of the office. They sold some of the items they acquired so the front looked less like a small room of files and odds and ends and more like a shop. It was also where they talked to customers about items. If they had a clerk, the clerk could take in what was needed, sell what they had, and help them organize it a bit more. It would leave them more time to focus on the cursed items and do more field calls.

"Harry," Bill greeted. He waved his hand at the wizard standing by the till. "This is our new front clerk. I think you know him."

"Malfoy?" Harry gasped.

Draco Malfoy lifted his chin, trying to look like he was ready for the job, but he was clearly nervous. "Me, Potter."

"I trust you both can bury the past and work together?" Bill asked.

Draco swallowed hard, but stuck his hand out. Harry looked at it, then at Draco's face, and let out a breath. He shook Draco's hand and smiled. "Yeah. We can."

~~~

_...but falling in love with you was beyond my control._

Harry bit his lip as he peeked out into the front room and then up at the mistletoe that hung in the hallway between the front and back. Bill had put it up last week as a joke; it wasn't cursed, per se, but it would keep two people under it until they kissed. So far, Bill had kissed both Harry and Draco, but Harry and Draco did a weird kind of dance to keep from getting caught.

"I could call him back here," Bill offered.

Harry blinked and looked across the hall into Bill's work space. "Sorry?"

"I said I could call him back," Bill repeated. 

"For what?" Harry asked blankly.

Bill sighed and put down his paperwork. "So you could accidentally catch him in the hallway?"  
Harry blushed and spluttered. "I'm wouldn't--that's not--you can't."

"Either you do it or I'll push you both under it," Bill said. "I'm tired of the two you dancing around each other. Makes for a difficult day, let me tell you. Just kiss him and get it over with."

Harry blinked. Bill shook his head and returned to his paperwork. Harry looked back at the front room and considered his options. The back of the office was where they had both their storage room and a small room that had been turned into a workspace. It was almost ten--Draco would soon be heading back for a cuppa. Or, he usually did; lately, he avoided going anywhere near the back.

"Do it, Harry, or I will push you both," Bill said.

Harry looked at Bill again, but Bill hadn't looked up, though he did have something like a smirk on his face. Harry huffed and looked at his watch. Almost ten--did he wait or did he try his luck? "Fuck it," he muttered. "Draco?" 

"Harry?" Draco answered.

"Could you come in here please?" Harry asked.

Draco sighed, but a moment later, his chair scraped across the floor as he stood up. Harry took a deep breath and casually walked out of his office, a folder in hand. "Sorry, it's just this paperwork from the china doll you took in yesterday--oomph."

Perfect. The folder went flying as he and Draco bumped into each other, but they were indeed stuck under the mistletoe. Harry laughed nervously and looked up. "Sorry."

Draco frowned and crossed his arms. "You did this on purpose."

"Who? Me?" Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe?"

Draco narrowed his eyes. "I thought we were friends, but if this is just some...prank to embarrass me--"

Why would I do that?" Harry wondered aloud.

Draco scoffed. "Don't play stupid. You just want to get me to admit--well. You want me out of here and got this idea in your head that--"

"Stop it!" Bill yelled. He leaned out of his office with a glare. "You two have to kiss and you better make it damn good. I'm tired of the sexual tension and mooning you've got going on."

"You don't have to watch!" Harry growled, fighting a blush.

Bill raised an eyebrow and waited. Draco huffed and turned Harry to face him. "Let's just get this over with."

Harry licked his lips and leaned forward when Draco did. He had meant it to be soft and sweet, but the moment their lips touched, he couldn't stop himself from pressing for a deeper kiss. And Draco gave it--thrusting his tongue into Harry's mouth and claiming it. It felt like it was a last kiss, but Harry turned the tides; he grabbed Draco's arms and returned the favor, silently begging and asking as he ravaged Draco's mouth.

"Oh," Draco breathed when it ended. His lips were a deep red and Harry wanted to kiss him again.

"Finally," Bill muttered. "Keep doing it, but outside the office, yeah? Go home and get whatever it is out of your systems."

Harry half smiled and slid his hands down until they rested on Draco's hips. "That's going to take a long time."

"A lifetime?" Draco asked.

Harry nodded. "I think so."

"Good," Draco whispered against Harry's lips before he kissed him again.


End file.
